Other Options
by Pink Wolf Princess
Summary: Andrew Hartford receives some... guests.


Okay, to roughly explain the Adam/Andrew letter exchange in "Letters Between Rangers" I have written this. However it is a similar chain of events, just taking place chronologically between Mack becoming human & the final scene of Operation Overdrive.

I suppose it ought to go without saying that I do not own Power Rangers or anything else copyrighted that is mentioned. And thanks to talkstoangels77 for editing!

* * *

Four days had passed since Mack had defeated Flurious. It had been agreed that the Rangers would leave the following day to resume their normal lives, but for now the six were hanging out in the rec room while Andrew Hartford was working on some new archeological project in his nearby study. Then the doorbell rang, momentarily pausing everyone before they resumed their activities knowing that Spencer would get it.

And the grey-haired butler did so, opening the door formally. On the other side was a pair of men. One was several years younger than the other, dressed in a red T-shirt and black jeans. He had crinkly black hair, toffee-colored skin, green-grey eyes, and a lean build. More solidly built, the other man seemed to be in his late twenties. He had brown eyes behind wire-frame glasses, gelled short dark brown hair, fair skin, and was dressed in a green and white striped V-neck sweater with black slacks.

"Yes?" he asked, concealing his puzzlement. The latter stated, "We're here to see Andrew Hartford."

The former nodded curtly. Eyebrows raised Spencer questioned, "And who shall I say is calling?"

"He's Nick Russell and I'm Dr. O."

Instructing the pair to stay in the foyer Spencer went to the unenclosed study. Looking up from his work Andrew frowned, "Yes, Spencer?"

"Two strangers to see you, sir."

"Show them in, I suppose," he shrugged. Spencer did so, leaving for the kitchen once the pair was in the study with his master. Luncheon time was coming up, and there were six hungry young people in the mansion for the last time. He was not eager to return to the quiet of before, and he could tell it was the same for Master Mack. Andrew was harder to read- he always had been though. But his musings were broken by distant shouting. With a sigh he removed his apron. Apparently the visitors had brought trouble with them or were the trouble.

Andrew and the strangers were in the area just beyond the study. The latter were clearly irritated and Andrew was mulish. The Rangers were watching on, wide-eyed. Being the clear-headed one Rose was questioning just as Spencer entered the area, "But why are Mack's origins any of your concern?"

"I'm Nick- Xander's Red to you guys," he retorted. "And he's Tommy Oliver."

The other man looked somewhere between abashed and proud. Tyzonn gulped. "The one with the five morphers?"

"Green, White, Red, Red, and Black," he acknowledged. Dax frowned. "You said Red twice."

"That meant he had two Red morphers," Will grumpily clarified. But Mack was still baffled. "So why do you guys care that I'm a former android?"

"It's not exactly that," Nick shrugged. "We just don't get why he didn't adopt or get a foster kid."

Unable to refute that idea the six looked over at the mentor, who blinked. "I never thought of that."

Dr. O. muttered under his breath before saying out loud, "That, along with the other stunts you pulled, goes beyond the absent-mindedness that I have."

"But how come you two thought of adoption even though Mr. Hartford didn't?" Ronny probed. Nick and Dr. O. exchanged a long look before the latter admitted, "We were both adopted as babies so it's kind of a touchy subject for us."

"Clearly," Will observed with raised eyebrows. Rose had to ask defensively, "But what are the other 'issues' you have with our mentor?"

"Uh, the whole 'Will pretending to be evil' deal," Tommy complained. "Good guys do not pretend to be evil- evil guys can pretend to defect, but good guys should not!"

"That was not fun," Ronny confessed to Will, who had the decency to blush and said, "It wasn't my idea."

"We know," Nick agreed. "We don't blame you guys- how were you supposed to know any better?"

"Anything else you'd like to critique?" Andrew grumbled, his arms folded across his chest. Exchanging a look the senior two Rangers chorused: "TV show."

Mack volunteered, "I think Dad just had a crush on the host."

"Ugh," went Nick, rubbing his temples. "I think I've found someone with less common sense than Toby."

"Same here, but with Bulk and Skull," Dr. O. marveled. Andrew's cheeks were bright red as he demanded, "What was so bad about the TV show?"

"One, Power Rangers typically don't reveal their identities- even Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, and SPD follow that rule to a degree in the sense that they don't go out of their way to reveal their identities even if their identities aren't a secret," Dr. O. explained. "It's one of the ground rules laid down by Zordon, along with not using your powers for personal gain which doing the TV show came way too close to skirting. They clearly can't be enforced anymore but we still follow them out of respect."

"What would have happened if the rules could still be enforced?" Rose asked hesitantly. Nick smiled darkly. "You would have all lost your powers for good."

"Oh," gulped Dax. Dr. O. scowled, "Going on the TV show went against all pillars of the Power Rangers subculture."

"Yeah, but they didn't get a copy," Nick noted. More pensively he wondered, "Is there an actual copy of the pillars written down somewhere anyway?"

Tommy shrugged, "It tweaks from team to team but using your status as a superhero for attention is a major no-no even beyond Power Rangers."

"Great responsibility?" Dax alluded. Dr. O. nodded. "Exactly."

"Anything else?" Will drawled. Nick frowned deeply. "I just don't like how you treated Mack- keeping him in the dark about whom and what he really was. Plus you went way overbroad with the protectiveness even being his 'parent'. I mean, from what I've heard I treated my birth dad worse due to him being under an evil spell for twenty years. Mack is one heck of a Red."

Dr. O. added, "We're not mad at you guys- considering the circumstances, you all did great. But…"

"I stank as a mentor?" Andrew griped. Pleased, Dr. O. agreed, "Exactly."

"I think he was being sarcastic."

"I knew that, Nick."

"Just checking since I know you."

Rose puzzled, "Wait… how do you know about Mack's treatment of his dad, Nick?"

"Um, I might have stayed in touch with Xander?" Ronny smiled sheepishly. Nick commented, "He just told me since we're best mates and all- and those bits about Mack were all he told me 'cause he thought I ought to know."

"Maybe he has a point," Rose whispered to Mack. "You have had it rough."

"He meant well," Mack nonetheless defended his father. Dr. O. looked bemused. "Why do think we didn't make Adam stay or why Nick and I haven't beaten him up? But good intentions can be worse than bad ones sometimes, and this is one of those times."

"I think we've aggravated them long enough," Nick suggested. Nodding, Tommy pressed a button on the wrist-watch like device on his wrist to teleport away in a beam of green light while Nick vanished thanks to an elaborate portal of red light. No one knew what to say except for Spencer.

"My word!"


End file.
